Brilliant
by who smiles
Summary: Po is a superhero with a problem. A brilliant, gorgeous problem that has a knack for making him look stupid.


**Title:** Brilliant

**Summary:** Po is a superhero with a problem. A brilliant, gorgeous problem that has a knack for making him look stupid.

**Characters:** Po, Tigress, Tai Lung

**A/N: **So I sat with a laptop in my lap, and I thought _hey, writing Young Justice fanfiction would be awesome. _Then I though _Suits is awesome too! _Then my fingers added KFP...so this is like a weird mashup of all three. Surprisingly, it works. Longest one-shot ever though, and since I've decided that chapters in the Drabble Edition! will be 4,000 words or less...this is a stand alone.

Also: I wrote Mike!Crane and Harvey!Tigress because it fit perfectly. And it has a comic book style thing to it because of the superhero theme. And I'm writing Tai Lung because I can. (ps- has anyone seen Secrets of the Masters yet? It was _awesome!)_

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><p>Po Ping looked at the mirror, to his left at the burly leopard giving him a toothy grin, then back at the mirror. His eyes took in his appearance; strange, thin mask that only covered his eyes, puke-green top over black pants, black gloves with orange scales on the side, and to top it all off an ugly, orange cape with the letters 'DW' in the same green shade as his top.<p>

"Um," he pushed the mask back onto his nose. It kept sliding down until it looked like a moustache. "I...love it?"

Tai Lung's smile fell. He scowled and stepped forward. "I don't need this you know," he snapped, ripping the mask off Po's face. The panda noted his accent had thickened- which meant he was really mad.

Time to backtrack.

"No really, I love it!" Po said hastily. "It covers my identity way better then the old one. I mean, how many pandas run around with a sweet-ass mask and puke-green outfits, huh?"

Tai Lung glared at him.

Po gulped. "That's your truth face. You think I'm lying."

"Actually," Tai Lung said, "I think everything you're saying is complete bullshit. Lying works too, though."

Po scrunched up his face. "Ouch. I'm deeply hurt Tai-"

"Just get out of my damn suit so I can make you another one," Tai Lung griped. Po smiled weakly at his friend.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for this, by the way. It's just that-"

"You think Stripes is on to you, I know I know." Tai Lung held his hand out expectantly.

Po blushed brightly. "Her name isn't Stripes! And-and don't say it like that! You make me sound paranoid."

Tai Lung fixed him with a look. "The suit," he said finally. "Just give me the suit so I don't kill you."

Po obliged. Pulling on his Civvie clothing—jeans and a black shirt with 'DW' written in white on the chest— he clamped his lips together tightly. "Does she have an official name?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tai Lung tossed the obsolete suit into a box on a nearby table. "It's Stripes."

"Tai..."

"What? You call her Stripes. I call her Stripes. How does it get more official then that?" He strode to his sketchpad, tore off a used sheet and started sketching the new plans for Po's suit. "And before you get mad at me for that, does the Dragon Warrior want his initials on his chest this time?"

Po nodded, "Yeah sure whatever." He turned back to the mirror, hoping to shield his face from Tai Lung. "What's her official name?"

"It's Stripes!"

Po rolled his eyes. "I'm serious. 'Cause, like, I always call her Stripes and she always gets mad-"

"Stop." Tai Lung held up a hand. "Stop, whoa, wait what? You talk to her?"

"Well," Po blushed, "Yeah. I mean, it's banter. While we're fighting."

"You talk?" Tai Lung reiterated. "And you never told me? Gods, next you'll say you're banging each other and I should've known!"

Po covered his face with his hands. "Don't even go there. I would never do that with her! She's a _bad_ _guy_! Ugh, why do you always assume that we'll start...'_being weird'_?"

Tai Lung shrugged. "Because you will? Eventually." He focused on his sketchpad again. "I think so anyway. Cape?"

"Gods no," Po said eyes wide. "To the cape, I mean. I dunno about the being weird..."

Tai Lung flipped his pencil and erased furiously. "Look at it this way. It's a pretty girl that you see all the time and banter with, _apparently_, and she hasn't killed you yet. That must mean something."

"Other then you're _way _too interested in my love life? Nope, not seeing it." Po dodged the pen Tai Lug chucked at his head. "But...let's pretend I do see it. How would...I mean, what would I do it?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "We're literally on two different sides. As in good and bad. Right and wrong. Hero and villain. There's no way we'd work out..."

"Ah," Tai Lung looked up. "Now I see why you've been so quiet for the past couple of days. Given this a lot of thought, have you now?"

"So what if I have?" Po said defensively. "She's not easy to stop thinking about. Sue me."

"I won't," Tai along said, "because I'm your friend. And I've been there." He smirked. "You're not the only one with pretty girls after you, Ping. And, speaking from experience, you need to get your shit together quickly before things get out of hand. Evil women are twice as hard to deal with as normal ones, even if the benefits are _amazing._"

"Yeah 'cause that's so easy," Po said flatly. "It's late. I'm going home." He snatched up his old suit (read: black jeans and a green shirt with a green mask) on his way to the door, ignoring Tai Lung's goodbye. He placed his old mask on his face before leaving- he'd walked in like that. It would be suspicious to walk out as Po rather then the Dragon Warrior.

Po made it to the next street when his tire blew out. He grumbled as he climbed out of his car, and went utterly silent when two narrow, glowing eyes appeared out of no where.

His startled expression smoothened into a small smile. "Hey Stripes. You almost scared me there. Been working on your entrance?"

"Perhaps," she said casually. She smiled and fangs could be seen right under her top lip. _Hmm_. _Lip_.

Po mentally kicked himself.

"I'm almost impressed," he winked at her. Her alluring stride stopped three feet away from him and his car. She frowned.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked very suddenly. Nervous, Po tugged his mask down further. She took a small step forward, all legs in that skin-tight suit if hers. Po scolded himself and forced himself to meet her eyes.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't do that!" she hissed. "Answering a question with a question is rude. And bothersome." Her ears flattened on her skull. "And I'm actually being quite serious. I want to know what's wrong with you."

"Nothing." Po's voice bristled. "I'm brilliant, thank you for asking."

Stripes snarled. "Listen panda, I'm not here to play games. I want an answer. Now."

He looked to his left. Then his right. He sighed and stared at her. "Would you react if I said that my problem is...you?"

She stared at him a while. "No. Not really."

"Well there's your answer." He turned away from her quickly. "Can I go home now? I definitely thought we had an agreed curfew-w…._whoa…_"

She was suddenly so close to him, he saw double just trying to look at her. "Do I make you..." His eyes fixated on her lips. "Nervous?"

Po Ping wanted to go weak at the knees. The Dragon Warrior (thankfully) didn't flinch. "Am I supposed to find this sexy or something, Stripes?" he asked mildly.

Stripes scowled at him. "Stop calling me that. It's not my name."

"It is in my book, Stripes."

He saw the strike coming and blocked it almost easily. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. Po frowned. "Whoa, take it easy there, I'm screwing with you-"

He was cut off by the sudden pressure of her lips on his own, and found the embrace much more pleasant then talking. In a matter of seconds they were pulled closed together- her hands on his chest, his hands on her lower back. Nothing else mattered but their lips and the hunger that needed to be filled.

Po pulled away, blinked and a bit breathless. She smirked up at him. "That was...impressive," he managed, frantically pulling his mask over his nose again.

"The same can't be said for you," she replied, pushing on his chest slightly. "That was unpleasant, actually."

"Why didn't you pull away then?"

There was a long silence. He obviously had her stumped, and he could see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to come up with something to say to him. Finally she decided, "I wanted you have the honors." They looked at each other a while. Po wasn't sure if he should initiate another kiss or not.

"I'm okay now," he said instead. She blinked at him, a small smile on her face.

"You sure I'm not a problem still? I have an effective cure."

"I'm good, thanks," Po said hastily. He rubbed his forehead. "You should probably go, Stripes. I'd hate to have to arrest you after that little show."

She bared her teeth. "My name is _not_Stripes," she hissed. "Why can't you comprehend that?"

Po shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin.

She looked ready to fight him again. "I should've expected as much..." she sighed. "I'm going to take your advice this time. I'll be off."

"Have fun criminalizing things," he said as she disappeared into the night. Po collapsed against his car. He wasn't sure whether to feel stupid or on cloud nine, so he decided to be both.

Stupid had a slight advantage, however, when he realized she'd slit his tires.

After pushing the Dragon 2.0 to the Dragon Warrior's mansion, Po took the underground root to his civilian home. It was a small place where he lived alone; Tai Lung called it the anti-woman crib. Po usually punched him in the arm after that.

Now, Po was too tired and far too busy cursing himself to even make himself dinner. He went straight to bed and fell asleep immediately.

_**The Next Day…**_

Tigress shifted in her seat. She felt awkward sitting next to the new paralegal, with his glasses and fitted white shirt and…was that a bow tie? He was a hipster. She felt even more awkward. Almost desperately, she reached for her mug of coffee and took a huge, lengthy gulp. She placed the mug down and realized Hipster Paralegal had done the same tactic.

"So," they said at the same time. She apologized quickly, "You go first."

The paralegal nodded. "I was going to ask how long you've been working at the firm," he said, tugging uncomfortably at his bow tie.

Tigress shifted again, pressing her skirt down. "Two years," she said, almost proud.

"That's spiffy," he replied. "I can't pass my LSAT...so I'm stuck here." He sighed and smiled at her. "Can I consider you an ally?"

Tigress squinted at him. He was faintly familiar, though she couldn't tell why. After a moment, she stuck out her hand. "Yes. My name is Tigress."

"Po," the panda replied taking her and shaking it. "Po Pan the paralegal. Gotta love alliteration."

Tigress allowed herself a smile. She set her mug if coffee down and stood. "It was nice meeting you, Po, but my break is over. I ought to go..."

"Oh," Po stood and sat down again, awkwardly. "Right. Goodbye then, Tigress. It was nice meeting you too."

She smiled and walked away, heels clacking against the tile. She took the elevator to her office. Po was on her mind the entire ride. Where had she seen him before?

_**Later…**_

Po grinned and waved at the criminal in front of him. She snarled at him, quickly dropping the gun she had pointed at a pig's head and raised her hands in defeat. "Looks like you got me, hero," she said to him.

Po took a step forward. His new suit was green and scaled- though not in a dorky way. He actually resembled a dragon, but not the fairy tale type. The dinosaur, ferocious type with his initials in fire on his chest. When Tai Lung had given him the outfit, Po nearly hugged him.

"It's not the first time, Stripes. Don't sound so surprised." Did she notice his outfit? …Did he just ask himself that?

Stripes shoved the man to the side. Police sirens wailed in the distance. An evil smile curled on her lips. He associated that smile with snide remarks and was preparing for a response when she spoke. "Is that a new suit?"

"Maybe I'll give you a headstar- wait what?"

Stripes widened her smile. Po was thankful his mask covered the upper half of his face. "I asked about your suit. New, right?"

She was messing with him. She had to be. "Yeah. It, um, it is."

Stripes nodded. He wasn't aware of how close she was until he felt her breath on his face. "I like it," she said in the softest voice he ever heard.

So struck by her appeal, Po didn't notice Stripes had taken her leave until an officer was shaking him out of stupor.

Later, driving the Dragon 2.0 home, Po berated himself. "You let her get to you," he said gruffly, "_again. _You idiot! She must think you're putty in her super-soft, delicate… experienced paws…" Po slammed his forehead against the steering wheel, groaning loudly.

When he walked into the Dragon's Lair—a large mansion that was always flooded by paparazzi—an angry face was glaring at him. Po blinked, shut the door, and then Tai Lung tackled him.

"What the _bloody bloods _is wrong with you?" the angry leopard raged, curling his fingers around Po's neck. "Do think I didn't hear about your 'butterfingers'? It's all over the _bloody_ news! Honestly, have you no shame?" Tai Lung let go of his neck to smack him upside the head. "I thought I told you to get your shit together! This is _very _far from together!"

"Tai—" Po quickly corrected himself; Tai Lung was dressed in his own hero suit, and as far as they knew reporters could be listening against the door, "I mean, Phoenix, I'd really love to stay and chat," he inched away from Tai Lung's anticipating fingers, "but I kind of need to get some sleep for work tomorrow—"

"Phoenix" crossed his arms, Po relaxed a little, and glared daggers at his supposed 'best friend'. "Fine. Fine, go be the Po Pan paralegal without a care in the world and _let _Stripes get away every time—it's not like she's _hurting _anybody. It's not like you _care _about the well-being of Peaceopolis."

Po's blood turned to ice. "Wait, what? She hurt someone?"

Tai Lung scowled. "Of course she hurt someone! She's a killer—they tend to _do that _you fat—"

"Who?" Po looked frantic. "Who'd she hurt?"

"She killed the pig," Tai Lung said stiffly. "He was the ex-chief of police. Retired last year…had a bloody family, Dragon, with kids and a wife and the whole nine yards. And she _killed _him."

Po felt his knees go week. Stripes always made a big show of trying to kill someone…but she never actually did. And now…now she'd committed a real murder; one he didn't stop. One he almost stopped…

Po gulped. "I knew him," he said hoarsely. "Chief Fai. I knew him."

Then, finally registering the hurt in his voice, Tai Lung moved to the side and let Po tiredly stalk into the interior of his home.

_**At Jade Law Firm…**_

"If it isn't Mr. Alliteration himself. Where've you been?"

Po looked up so abruptly, his glasses slid right off his face. He picked them up shyly, grinning and the pretty tiger that leaned casually on his desk. "Morning, Tigress," he said jovially, "glad to see you missed me." He fixed the glasses until they sat perfectly on his nose. "I had to take some time off. Close friend of mine was killed the other day…" he sighed forlornly. "Killed by that criminal girl…what was her name?"

He noticed Tigress' sudden grip on the edge of his desk. "She goes by Bloodlust, I believe." Her eyes softened. "You knew the ex-Chief she killed? I'm so sorry…" He could tell she meant it too. "Bet you're mad that the Dragon Warrior couldn't stop her?"

This time, Po was the one to tense. He nearly snapped his highlighter in half. He recovered smoothly, bending the utensil back to it's straight self. "Don't even talk to me about that…" he fished for the right word, "coward." Would it make sense to wince if he was insulting himself? Still, Po went on, "I thought he was supposed to be a hero. Heroes don't let the bad guy get away."

"You can't blame him entirely," Tigress cut in. "I mean…maybe it wasn't his fault."

Po looked at her. She probably saw Po Pan, his secret-secret identity, not Po Ping, the real him. She probably saw a brown-eyed (colored contacts) hipster; a physically fit panda with glasses and bow ties and sweater vests. She probably saw another paralegal that would come and go.

Probably.

"And maybe it was," he countered, sounding confused. "It probably was."

Tigress looked as if she wanted to respond. Instead, she straightened herself and placed a fist on her hip. "I need to go. I have…a case to…work on," she said quickly, strutting away from his desk.

Po considered going back to the files he was briefing….

Or…he could go figure out why Tigress was so antsy.

Po dropped the highlighter and strode after the girl.

-x-x-x-

Tigress looked warily over her shoulder, approaching her secretary's desk at an alarming speed. "Whoa there tiger," Viper said without looking up from her computer screen. "Something eating at you?"

"What?" Tigress hadn't even noticed Viper was there. "Oh, no, it's nothing."

Viper smiled smugly. "It's that paralegal, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

Viper nearly squealed. "The paralegal! The really fit panda that you're always talking to!" The smugness returned; "Don't think I didn't notice you missed him."

Tigress brushed her friend's words off absentmindedly. "You have no idea what you're talking about." Shutting Viper down, she continued, "Anyway, make sure no one other then the puppy comes into my office, okay? Especially not the, eh, the paralegal." Tigress' face heated when Viper grinned again. "Shut up."

"I didn't speak," Viper reminded her. "Also, don't you think the puppy's growing up? Perhaps it's time you started treating him like an equal?"

Tigress leaned back to laugh boisterously. "I see you've been working on your sense of humor," she said to the snake. "Speaking of the puppy…can you tell him I need the Tao Father-Daughter case double-checked and proofread by…" she looked at her watch, "Now?"

Viper pointed behind her. Tigress turned and smiled grudgingly. "Speak of the devil."

"Sorry!" The stocky-legged avian (dressed in a laughable suit; she'd have to scold him about that later) nearly rammed into Tigress in his haste to hand her a large stack of papers. "Sorry, it's late!" he said again, trying to balance the pile in his wings. "I was trying to- Mantis was being a di- and then Shen tried to give me…" he trailed off, realizing his own ramblings made no sense. "I'm sorry," he finished lamely, handing her the papers.

Viper was laughing quietly in her seat, while Tigress merely rolled her eyes. "First of all," she said tightly, "don't apologize so much. It makes you look weak. Weaker then usual, anyway. Secondly, these things are late, which means you get to take them to my office. And thirdly," she gestured at all of him with her paws, "what the _hell _are you wearing?"

Flustered, Crane looked down at himself. "It's…you told me to wear a suit!"

"I know." Tigress' eyes narrowed. "So what the _hell _is that?"

Crane was about to argue that he was running low on funds when he was nearly knocked over by a force twice as large as him. He lost his grip on the papers, but luckily the person who'd run into him caught them with ease. "Sorry there," the panda said, "didn't mean to run into you."

"No, you're fine," Crane mumbled. He happily accepted the papers and quickly stalked off to Tigress' office.

The tiger watched in silence as Crane left the scene. She turned to Viper, but of course the serpent was lost in a "conversation" on her headset. She was forced to look at the panda. "You need something?" she said at last, irritated by the faultiness of her voice.

Po nodded. "I…well, just then, you walked away all angrily…I thought that I made you upset. So I wanted to apologize."

"Apology accepted," Tigress snapped sharply. Then she spun on her heel and walked in the other direction. She didn't look back.

_**The Next Afternoon…**_

Po Ping decided to walk to Tai Lung's house that day. Dressed in his black 'DW' shirt, mask in place, he waved amiably at Peaceopolis citizens.

_You shouldn't love me. I let your ex-Chief get killed. _

He signed a young goose's baseball cap.

_I'm also having a sort-of affair with the biggest criminal in history._

He pounded on Tai Lung's door. "Dude!"

"I'm coming," came the muffled reply. A bleary eyed leopard opened the door, blinking rapidly in the sunlight. "What?"

"I called you like five times," Po said, "and texted you twice as much. It's noon. You have a life. So live it."

"Not when I'm hungover I don't," Tai Ling grumbled, but he let Po inside anyway. "What's so important?"

"Nothing." Po winced. "Everything. Um, Bloodlust I mean."

Tai Lung flipped his coffee maker on. "Who?"

"Stripes," Po translated. "I think…I think she works at my law firm."

Tai Lung stared at him blankly.

"I also think her alter-ego likes me."

"Well someone's full of himself."

Po fixed his friend with a very perplexed look. "Tai, I'm serious. I think she's this really professional, successful lawyer at my firm and she flirts with me a lot."

"Oh please," Tai Lung snorted. "You wouldn't know a flirt if she kissed you on the mouth."

Po flushed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. Tai Lung took one look at him, then lunged over the counter. His golden eyes nearly burned holes in Po's skull. "Bloody hell, you kissed her didn't you?"

Po looked anywhere but Tai Lung's face.

"She kissed you then?" Po's blushed burned brighter. "She _did_! She bloody kissed you!" Tai Lung leaped off the counter, his expression varying from glee to exasperation. He whipped around, glaring at Po. "I _don't_ even know what to say to you."

"'Good job bro'?" Po offered weakly. He flinched when Tai Lung leaned forward.

"I'm starting to feel like your parent, Po," the weary leopard sighed. "That's not normal. I'm your completely irresponsible, infinitely better looking, and currently hungover best friend, _not_ you guardian."

Po drummed his fingers on the counter. "I know! I know that, seriously, and I also know that I'm a grown-ass man and shouldn't be acting like a hormonal teenager," he babbled, "but I am, Tai, she's making me. It's weird. I don't like it. I don't like her. I don't like lying either, so scratch that last statement."

Before Tai Lung could answer, a loud shrieking siren went off. He clutched at his head while Po jumped to his feet. He recognized the siren as the alert system Tai Lung had in his house—which he had forgotten to turn off, unfortunately.

A small TV swung out from one of the kitchen cupboards. Lanfen Chan, a pretty blue-eyed panda reporter spoke quickly on the screen. "The valiant villainess who goes by Bloodlust has captured the mayor and is currently holding him hostage in the Jade Law Firm. Authorities are trapped outside the building with no chance of going in for a rescue mission without triggering Bloodlust's bloodthirstiness. The best we can hope for is a hero—"

Po and Tai Lung both blanched. The leopard popped a pure white pill in his mouth. His face was set. "Let's go," he ordered, forgetting his hangover entirely. He didn't need words for Po to understand what else he was trying to say.

Like any good superhero, Po kept his outfit close—changing in seconds (practice made perfect) and Tai Lung was ready moments later. The leopard was just as keen on keeping his true identity secret, which was why his mask revealed only his mouth. Over his nose was a golden arc of a beak that looked just as dangerous as his claws. The rest of his outfit was a blend of gold and purple.

He was also named after a bird for a reason. Tai Lung extended his hand and Po accepted it, then they were flying as fast as Tai Lung could manage to the law firm.

Po took the brunt of the impact through the window. The shatter was loud and the two men staggered into the building, Po grumbling and Tai Lung warning him to shut up.

"Where do you think she has him?" Po asked his comrade.

"I don't know. You're the one that flirts with her."

If the situation hadn't been so urgent, that comment alone would've sparked a fight between the two. But Po swallowed his indignation and nodded. "We'll check her office. Tigress' office I mean, not Stripes—no, I mean Bloodlust." Po ignored the angry look Tai Lung was giving him. "This way."

They ran quickly, reaching the glass office in record time. Sure enough, a tiger in a sleek black outfit was pointing a gun at a lynx in a sweaty gray suit. The mayor looked calm for someone at gunpoint, but Po could tell he was scared.

Bloodlust saw the heroes the same time they saw her. She tightened her grip on the gun as they burst through the door. "Hello heroes. Something you need?"

"Yeah," Po snarled, "the mayor. Let him go, Stripes."

The villain twitched, but didn't waver. "I see you brought backup, Dragon Warrior," she said, nodding towards Tai Lung. "Wanted a plan B incase you got distracted again?"

Po blushed brightly, unable to find words. Tai Lung rolled his eyes and elbowed him out of the way. "Listen. Stripes. I'm going to be straightforward about things. Dragon is smitten with you," 'Dragon' gurgled at this confession but the feline plowed on, "and you can shoot me as many times as you like for saying it, but you're smitten with him as well. Now would you two kindly make out so I can get the mayor to safety?"

Bloodlust contained herself for an impressive ten seconds before roaring and lunged at Tai Lung. He smirked and side-stepped her easily. "Get the mayor and run," Tai Lung ordered Po.

"But I can help—"

"No, you can't." Tai Lung growled and blocked a punch from Bloodlust. "Just go!"

Po made as if to argue again, but thought better of it. He sighed and ran towards the mayor. Sadly, Tai Lung and Bloodlust were blocking the exit…so, the mayor latching onto his neck, Po made his own exit.

He jumped out the window.

Tigress' office was on the twentieth story. Po didn't even try to soothe the mayor's screams—he was too busy screaming himself.

They hit the ground—well, Po hit the ground, the mayor was nearly on his shoulders by the point, and the momentum was absorbed by his superhero knees. Still, Po wobbled and toppled over, legs shaking slight.

"Are you alright Mr. Mayor?" he asked kindly from his spot on the ground.

"Thanks to you!" The mayor nodded eagerly. The police and an ambulance started running towards them. "You go help your friend. I can clear things up here."

Po smiled gratefully and shook the mayor's hand. Then he jumped to his feet and ran back towards the building, prepared to scale the wall.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Tai Lung didn't lose. He and Bloodlust fought only occasionally (seeing how she was Po's rival and the Wu Three were his) but when they did, sparks flew. He was suffering a broken nose as of now, and blood trickled from her lip.

"You ready to give up yet?" he asked her, ducking under a roundhouse kick.

"Depends. You ready to die yet?" She unsheathed her claws and twisted. Tai Lung staggered back, clutching the scratches on his chest.

"I'll die when you do, Stripes," he retorted, attacking with a roar. "Though I hear killing harpies isn't as easy as it used to be."

Bloodlust dodged him, breathing hard. She attacked with a vengeance. He couldn't dodge her claws. "My name," she hissed, clawing his face. "Is _not_." She pulled her claws from his shoulders. "Stripes!" her claws snagged the lower half of his mask.

There was a loud rip. Then Tai Lung's face was revealed.

Before Bloodlust could get a good look at him, a voice called her name. Her real name. Not Stripes, not Bloodlust…

"Tigress…"

She turned because of instinct. As soon as she did, she regretted it; the panda was standing in the doorway, lips curved upwards and eyes triumphant. "I knew it," he said quietly.

"You know nothing." She nearly panicked, then remembered Phoenix's face had been uncovered. "If you tell anyone who I really am, Feathers here goes down with me."

The Dragon Warrior and Phoenix glanced at each other. They had a conversation with just their eyes, she could tell, and came to an agreement.

Bloodlust felt a pair of strong arms grip her in a head lock. Her mouth opened in a small 'o' of surprise. "Sorry Tigress," Phoenix smirked, "but you're the only one hitting rock bottom today."

_**And Later…**_

"So…" Po Pan said to Tai Lung. For the first time ever, Tai didn't have to disguise himself to go out to lunch. The police had found the two heroes and their captive moments after she'd been restrained. Two identities were revealed that day, and strangely, Tai Lung didn't mind being known as Phoenix.

He leaned back in his chair, soaking up the spring sun. The café they were having lunch at was relatively quiet—and the outside seating was divine. Tai Lung grinned at his friend, who looked oddly jealous as he tugged at his shirt. "I am _really _getting used to this," he admitted sheepishly. "You should try it."

"Nah," Po said with a genuine smile. "I like having the balance of two identities." He paused, then snorted; "Though you'd think someone would've found out who I was by now."

"No one suspects a paralegal to be the Dragon Warrior after hours," Tai Lung pointed out. "Though, the entirety of the city may need their eyes checked, seeing how you look _exactly like Po Ping_."

Po shushed him quickly. Tai Lung gave a non committal shrug and sipped his iced coffee. He frowned and placed the drink down. "…so. You and Stripes. That must've been painful."

"No," Po said without a moment's thought, though he fiddled nervously with his watch, "It wasn't. For Po Pan, maybe, a little, but not Ping. She was a villain and I- er, Ping was-_is_ a hero. We-_they_ weren't supposed to work out." Po had a brave face on, but his tone was dejected.

Tai Lung drummed his fingers on the table. He grinned as he thought of a way to cheer up his friend. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better…" he leaned close across the table, so no civilians could hear, "She gets tossed in the slammer once a month and breaks out by the end of the week. Even if there's a little extra security on her this time…" he sighed grudgingly, "she's a bloody brilliant villain. She'll find away out."

Po looked skeptical, yet his eyes had a boyish excitement in them. "You think so?"

"Oh yes. She'll be throwing kisses and knives at you," he rolled his eyes and corrected himself, "at _Dragon _pretty soon."

"I have mixed feelings about that," Po admitted with a small grin. "Sort of. Almost. Not really."

"Some heroes have a hero girlfriend," Tai Lung shrugged and stirred sugar in his coffee. "You happen to have a villainess tease."

Po's reply was drowned out by terrorized screams. He, Tai Lung, and everyone in the café looked in horror as terrified citizens ran by them. Away from something, Po thought, and as he turned around he caught a glimpse of a giant robot with a scarily familiar cackled coming from its mouth.

"Is that Taotie?" The panda squinted as citizens ran past him.

"Name any other fat pig that has a fetish for technology," Tai Lung said sarcastically as he stood. His face went blank, that struck horror as he pointed, "Is that…is that the Wu Three on his shoulder?"

Po shielded his eyes from the sun. He blinked; "Huh. It is the Wu Three. Looks like they're teaming up." He glanced at Tai Lung. "I'll- I mean, Dragon will meet you there, okay?"

"Yeah. Holy shi- Hun Dun is there too. Huh—all we're missing is Stripes; then this would've been a real 'family' reunion." Tai Lung had changed into his costume in the few seconds Po was looking at the enemy. "Don't take too long. I don't want to follow your lead and get _distracted_."

"Oh heavens forbid."

Tai Lung smirked and took off into the sky.

Po Pan ran into the deserted restaurant, pulling his costume out of his pocket. A small grin crept on his face as he pulled the mask over his face.

"I _love _this job," he mused as the Dragon Warrior charged into battle.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Bloodlust sighed wistfully as she watched her- yes _her _hero jump into battle. She flicked her tail lazily, counting off seconds in her head. Dragon Warrior was getting close to the robot now, though she was too high up (it had taken her nearly thirty seconds to scale the building without being seen) to hear him.

Finally deciding he'd had enough time, she leaped off the rooftop and in a few strong bounds was standing in front of him, cutting off his route to the battle. "Going somewhere, hero?"

Dragon Warrior gaped, then actually looked happy to see her. "You're back!" he stated brightly. "Wow. That was like, three days."

"Not my best time," Bloodlust admitted with a small shrug. "But I couldn't miss seeing you for another moment."

She almost laughed outright when Dragon Warrior blushed to the tips of his ears. "Um," he said intelligently.

"Anyway," Bloodlust went on as if she'd never said anything, "I've had an epiphany recently. Two actually. The first is that prison food is by far the most deadly weapon on this planet-"

Dragon Warrior chuckled at that.

"-and the second is that…" She inhaled deeply and looked him right in the eyes. "I want to join you in your fight for justice," she waved her hands irritably, "or whatever."

The panda blinked. "Really?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, really. And…and maybe _we_," she hoped he knew what she meant, "won't be so improbable that way."

She assumed he was about to answer when a large robotic hand scooped him into the air. "Oh," Bloodlust said dryly. "The robot. I nearly forgot."

Dragon Warrior looked purple from lack of oxygen. "Less musing, more hero-ing _please_," he choked out while his enemy laughed.

Bloodlust nodded and effortlessly jumped on the robot's metallic arm. "Excuse me Tootie-"

"It's Taotie!"

"Yes, of course, Tootsy," Bloodlust ignored his offended cry, "whatever. You're squeezing the life out of someone special."

The pig smirked. "Anything you plan on doing about it?"

Bloodlust shrugged, "You asked," and ten minutes later, she was ramming his face in the dirt while his machine smoke and puttered out in a smoldering heap ten feet away. Dragon Warrior, despite being in a heated hand-to-horn battle with Hun Dun, managed to plant an affectionate kiss on her neck and thank her for the save.

_**And Even Later…**_

"You know…" Po Ping said quietly as he surveyed the result of the battle. Each villain was ready to be taken away; Tai Lung was settling matters with police as Po and Tigress (Stripes?) stood in the sidelines. "…the whole city knows who you are now."

Tigress nodded, seemingly unfazed by his straightforwardness. "Yep," she said mildly. Her nonchalance was practiced and almost perfect—but he saw the small cracks in her façade.

"Does that…bother you?"

She gave a small shrug. "I have other things to worry about. Like you, for one, and the fact that you make an awful hero."

Po chuckled lightly. "No. You just make a brilliant one."

They fell into a friendly silence, broken by Tigress' hopeful inquiry, "You think so?"

"Yeah," Po said honestly. "And not just because you saved my life, but because you're a total genius when it comes to fighting and you really know how to knock a guy on his back." The compliments were said without him even thinking about it. "And, you know, thanks for saving my life."

Tigress didn't respond for several seconds. Finally, she gave an almost inaudible sigh. "You're welcome, Dragon," she said simply, quietly.

Po took a deep breath and held it. Lips dry, he opened his mouth and spoke each word slowly. Tai Lung was _so _going to kill him for this. "By the way, Dragon's not my real name…"

**END**


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